“UNC is important to me because it’s not only a way that I can improve myself, but 这是向家人证明自己的一种方式. 作为第一代学生，我们家有 no idea what going to college was,” says Mikilynna Taufetee a Political Science student 在UNC.
Like many students 在UNC, Mikilynna has big goals. 她希望有一天能改变 world as an immigration lawyer, criminal attorney or politician. 她不会的目标 have in her sights if it hadn’t been for the support she 收到了 from 奖学金 就像 杰里·L. 国会纪念教务长学术奖学金.
“I’m from out of state, so it’s really hard to afford everything from the books to 全日制上课的成本. It’s kind of cliché to say, but the main reason that I’m here is that a scholarship is there supporting me,” Mikilynna says.
Every year there are a number of individuals, committees and generous donors working behind the scenes to make possible hundreds of 奖学金 just 就像 one Mikilynna 收到了.
It all begins with a donor like Dana Cohenour ’81 and her husband Jason.
“The support th在UNC gave me when I was younger, I want to return that support now 我能做到的. I think about all those students who are just starting out, and how I needed a hand when I was attending,” Cohenour says. “我有一个音乐剧 我在皇冠app官方版下载时获得了奖学金. I looked back and thought, that wasn’t a huge amount 那时候很缺钱，但确实帮了我. 所以如果我能帮助一个在读学生 is in a similar position, then it really makes my heart feel good.”
When donors 就像 Cohenours decide to support students 在UNC through a scholarship, The UNC基金会 will accept and manage their gifts accordingly.
Working closely with the Office of 金融援助, the Foundation awards those 奖学金 to deserving students with the help of the UNC scholarship application. 的40题 form, available year-round to students through Ursa, determines student eligibility 为这改变生活的援助.
“I get a lot of students who think that they need to apply for every single individual scholarship, but they just need to submit the single application,” says Natascha Ambrose, 北卡大学财政援助副主任. “我们70%的奖学金都是 叫auto-match. If your answers on the general application are a match you are automatically added to the list of qualifying applicants.”
Once that single application is finished, students are shown a list of additional action items required to complete the 奖学金 they qualify for. 但不是所有的奖学金 require additional steps; once the universal application is complete some students 完成.
“There are some students who will not see anything on their dashboard, and they think they qualify for nothing, but that’s not usually the case,” Ambrose says.
The priority deadline for student applications is February 1st of each year. 后 that the scholarship selection committees begin their work.
“We are a decentralized system when it comes to 奖学金. 没有一个 committee that chooses all the recipients,” Ambrose says.
“Sometimes it’s just composed of one faculty member who will go in and select the recipients, and sometimes there will be a whole group with one chair assigned to represent the committee,” says Jennifer Major, 协调员 of Scholarships for the Office of 金融援助. “It all depends upon the scholarship and donor intent.”
Each scholarship is assigned a specific unit or committee for selection. 这些分配 要在5月1日前做出决定吗.
“We’re trying to meet that May 1st deadline so that students can make an informed 决定和承诺. That’s the national commit date for admissions,” Ambrose says.
但这个过程并没有就此结束. The Office of 金融援助 works year-round to ensure that as many students are matched with available scholarship aid as possible.
“We have a priority deadline, but you actually can still go in and put an application in up until October 1st because if we can’t award a scholarship, we then move that priority date and see who else filters in,” Major says. “我们会有这样的学生 graduate at the end of the fall semester and they were awarded a fall and spring scholarship. So, we’re going back in and we’re re-awarding that unused portion. 即使学生 didn’t get something right away, there’s still a possibility that they could get something 沿着这条线.”
“我们有钱. We do as much as we can to get everybody to fill out an application to help them with those costs and stay in school. 它改变了人们的 生活诚实. 这真是太棒了. 站在这一边感觉很棒， giving that to the student and seeing how it affects the student,” Ambrose says.
因此，像米基琳娜这样的学生很感激.
“It’s very empowering to know that the scholarship selection committee heard what I have to offer to help improve the world and they chose to believe in me and support 米基琳娜说. "If I could talk to the person who granted me the scholarship, 我可能会哭. I am just so grateful, and I would just want to tell them how much I appreciate them for taking the time to read my story and see who I am. 它使 我觉得我有足够的价值来这里.”
